Category: News This Week

  • India Bans Tobacco Sales to Ensure Social Distancing

    India Bans Tobacco Sales to Ensure Social Distancing

    The government of India has banned the sale of tobacco, liquor and gutka (a form of chewing tobacco) to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

    The measures have been put in place in order to ensure social distancing, an important aspect of the fight against the coronavirus, is adhered to. The ban is part of a list of directives issued under the Disaster Management Act of 2005 and also prohibits acts such as spitting in public, which is now punishable by a fine.

    The lockdown in India began on March 25 and was extended on April 14 for another three weeks. India has reported more than 10,000 coronavirus cases and 377 deaths.

    Dominated by traditional tobacco products, such as bidis and chewing tobacco, India is one of the world’s largest tobacco markets.
     

  • CTFK Wants Vape Shops Labeled as Non-Essential

    CTFK Wants Vape Shops Labeled as Non-Essential

    The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) is sending out email blasts urging for a “Call to Action” to pressure U.S. President Donald Trump to label vape shops as non-essential businesses.

    “In a new low, vape shops are lobbying the Trump Administration to be declared “essential businesses” so they can stay open during the COVID-19 crisis. This is ludicrous and we need your help to stop it,” the email begins. “It is the height of disgrace for the vaping industry to argue that e-cigarettes, which damage the lungs, should be considered essential during a lung disease pandemic. It has never been more urgent for us to protect our kids and their health, not vape shops.”

    Some states have labeled vape shops as non-essential businesses. In states such as Ohio, vapor advocacy groups such as the Ohio Vapor Technology Association (OHVTA) have asked its members to close their doors during the pandemic. Ohio, however, allows online sales. Many US states do not.

    Gas stations and convenience stores, where the majority of combustible cigarettes are purchased, are labeled essential businesses. CTFK does not make any mention of asking for businesses that sell deadly cigarettes to be closed.

  • Zimbabwe: Stakeholders Set Covid-19 Market Guidelines

    Zimbabwe: Stakeholders Set Covid-19 Market Guidelines

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has been working to set guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the tobacco selling season.

    The board is expected to enforce a “deliver today, sell tomorrow” guideline, and only 20 farmers will be allowed to complete the sale of each batch before moving to the next one. Farmers will not be allowed to sleep overnight at the market, temperatures and IDs will be checked at the gate, and handwashing stations will be installed at the entrances.

    “Tobacco is bought in the absence of the growers who shall come in to review after the sale. Floor marshals shall be deployed by the industry to ensure that rules set by the stakeholders are followed. They shall conduct random checks on gate passes and maintain the permitted number of people in a gathering,” the guideline proposal states.

    Nonbooked tobacco will not be accepted, and sellers will be turned away.

  • BAT Investigated for Sanctions Busting

    BAT Investigated for Sanctions Busting

    British American Tobacco (BAT) is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) over suspected sanctions-busting. Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is conducting a separate investigation relating to “suspicions of corruption in the conduct of business by group companies and associated persons.”

    BAT has operations in several countries that are subject to sanctions, including Iran and Cuba. In its 2019 annual report, the company acknowledged that operations in these countries expose the company to the risk of “significant financial cost.”

    BAT said that it is cooperating with the investigation.

    “As the investigations are ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to provide further comment at this time,” BAT spokeswoman Anna Vickerstaff said.

    Shares in the company fell 5.5 percent after The Times first reported the news on Tuesday

    Financial services company Jefferies suspects the U.S. investigations may be linked to the SFO investigation. “If we are right, and it (the U.S. probe) does relate to the same accusations (as in SFO probe), the fact this has been ongoing in some form since 2017 with no apparent conclusion, we would not worry too much about it for now,” Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett wrote.

  • Uganda to Tax Unprocessed Leaf Tobacco

    Uganda to Tax Unprocessed Leaf Tobacco

    africa-farm
    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    The Ugandan government has proposed an amendment to the 2015 Tobacco Control Act to tax processed and unprocessed leaf tobacco.

    Under the bill, processed and unprocessed tobacco consigned out of Uganda would be taxed at a rate of $0.80 per kg. The tax would be paid by the consigner to the Uganda Tobacco Authority.

    The Uganda National Health Consumer’s Organization (UNHCO) has proposed an amendment to the Excise Duty Act of 2019 to remove tax exemptions and incentives to conform with the amended section of the 2015 Tobacco Control Act.

    UNHCO has suggested a uniform tax tier with a specific rate, an excise duty of UGX250,000 ($66.48) per 1,000 cigarettes, and the elimination of soft cap and hinge-lid packaging. The organization has asked the government to increase tobacco taxes beyond 70 percent in conformity with the World Health Organization tobacco tax standards.

  • South Korea Revises Health Warnings

    South Korea Revises Health Warnings

    The South Korean health ministry is revising the images used on cigarette packs to discourage smoking.

    Nine of the 12 photos currently used will be replaced; “Warning images showcasing heightened risk of laryngeal cancer, sexual dysfunction and dangers posed by electronic cigarettes will be retained,” according to the Yonhap News Agency. “Images showing a greater chance of smokers contracting lung and oral cancer, heart disease, stroke and early death are set to be altered, along with images highlighting the dangers of secondhand smoking and smoking during pregnancy.”

    The new images will take effect on Dec. 23 and remain in place for two years.

    Under current regulations, 75 percent of a cigarette pack must be covered in warning images and text, and they must be revised every two years.  

  • FDA Extends Comment Period for Information on EVALI

    FDA Extends Comment Period for Information on EVALI

    Couleur | Pixabay

    In response to requests from the public, FDA is extending the comment period for a request for information (RFI) seeking data and information related to the use of vaping products that are associated with lung injuries. 

    The RFI, initially published in the Federal Register on Feb. 18, responds to direction from Congress to gather additional information that could help identify and evaluate additional steps that could be taken by the agency to “address the recent pulmonary illnesses reported to be associated with the use of e-cigarettes and vaping products.”

  • Tobacco Sales Soar Even as Authorities Urge Quitting

    Tobacco Sales Soar Even as Authorities Urge Quitting

    Photo: Šárka Jonášová | Pixabay

    Tobacco sales worldwide are rising amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, reports Euro Weekly News.

    Experts say it’s unlikely more people are picking up smoking and more likely that current smokers are stocking up on supplies in preparation for even longer lockdowns.

    In some places, such as Spain, authorities have declared tobacco an essential business, aiding in the availability and sales of the products. The biggest tobacco producers have seen huge sales in the first quarter of 2020; Marlboro has a brand value of €30.5 billion ($33.3 billion) so far and L&M has a brand value of €5.5 billion.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) says that smokers and vapers are more at risk of contracting Covid-19 and suffering from complications of the illness. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that those with asthma and other respiratory issues are at a higher risk of complications from Covid-19, and smokers are more likely to exhibit asthma and other respiratory issues. Because of this, the WHO and other public health officials recommend that smokers take this opportunity to quit smoking for good.

  • RELX Sends Relief Supplies to Customers

    RELX Sends Relief Supplies to Customers

    RELX Technology announced the extension of the RELX “For You With Care” project to support its international partners during the COVID-19 crisis. RELX will initially send 78,200 masks and over 515 gallons of hand sanitizer to its global distributors, partners and store owners.

    The supplies will be sent to countries in Asia, Europe, Canada and South America. RELX will continue to follow the developments of COVID-19 globally and will send essential supplies to its partners and employees that are in need.

    “RELX is wholly committed to supporting the well-being of our employees, partners, and store owners during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a global startup, we are doing what we can to help our global community. We hope our modest donation will help them during these trying times,” said RELX founder and CEO Kate Wang.

    In late January, RELX kicked off the RELX For You With Care Project by donating RMB 1 million to the Institute of Psychology, China Academy of Science through the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation to support a training program designed to provide mental health support services.

  • BAT Sues PMI Over IQOS Technology

    BAT Sues PMI Over IQOS Technology

    Photo: Philip Morris International

    British American Tobacco (BAT) has sued Philip Morris International (PMI) in the United States and Germany for patent infringement, reports Reuters.

    The lawsuits focus on the heating blade technology used in PMI’s IQOS heat-not-burn device, which BAT claims is an earlier version of the technology currently being used in its Glo tobacco heating devices.

    BAT filed two patent infringement claims in the United States against Philip Morris, one through the International Trade Commission (ITC) and one in the Virginia federal court, seeking remedies for damages caused and an injunction on importing the product.

    “If we win we may be able to get an ITC exclusion order blocking the importation of IQOS into the U.S. by Philip Morris unless they agree to take a license to our patents,” BAT spokesman Will Hill told Reuters.

    PMI, which started selling IQOS in the United States last year, vowed it would vigorously defend itself against the legal actions.